


Brothers in Blood

by BL4R1233



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternia, F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-28
Updated: 2013-10-28
Packaged: 2017-12-30 17:05:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1021214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BL4R1233/pseuds/BL4R1233
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sudden alien alliance rises up against the Alternians, and Kankri and his brother Karkat are forced to evacuate the planet with a small amount of other young trolls in hopes to keep their race alive. I suck with summaries, sorry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brothers in Blood

“GO GO GO!!” Rough hands shove the small boy forward, urging him onto the giant metal ship in the midst of the chaos. The boy whimpers but listens, clutching the bundle tighter to his chest. He begins to shove his way through the crowd, knocking over countless boys and girls abandoned by their guardians. He’s quite sure he’s stepped on a few sickly still bodies of said children on the ground—but he can’t think about that. He can only move ever closer to the hulking ship, his guardian’s hands always at his back, always moving him closer.

“Just a little closer, little one,” the guardian whispers into his ear. Somehow, through the screams and shouts and crying, he is heard. Yes, they’re almost there, they’re almost—

“Stop! Wrigglers only, all guardians are expected to stay and fight.” A rough, burly voice barks when the three of them try to step over the threshold to the ship. The boy stops, terrified, and looks up at his guardian. His face goes slack for a moment, and then rage, pure, wild rage, spreads across his features.

“What the hell do you mean?!”

“I’m sorry, sir, but all adults are to stay. Only wrigglers and select few guardians are allowed to—“

“Do you know who I am??” the fuming guardian growls and balls up his fists. The boy’s eyes whip back the man for a response. He is not part of this conflict. He should leave and get on the ship, get to safety, before it is full. But he won’t leave his guardian.

“Of course, Signless. And that is exactly why you must stay. Here. Now say goodbye to your spawn.” The guard barks stubbornly and waves a hand at the constantly filling ship.

“I saved the entire planet from tyranny, I should be allowed to with my liege! This is ridiculous, get out of my way.” Before he realizes it, his guardian’s hands are back on his shoulders, pushing him forward—but the guard growls and raises his weapon.

“You are needed to rally our troops. Or we will never win this. I’m sorry, Signless, but you must stay. If you refuse, your spawn will not be allowed on and he will perish with the rest of us.” The man goes ashen, and he lets his grip go slack. In a withered, tired voice he asks, “Is the Dolorosa on this ship?” The guard nods. “Fine.”  
The small boy does not register what has just happened. His guardian, his lusus, his everything…is not going with him. The large troll bends down until he is at eye level with the boy. “Listen to me Kri,” he says, keeping his voice as light as possible, “I cannot go with you. These fools need me here. You will get on the ship and listen to whatever Dolo say, yes?” 

He nods back, not fully comprehending the situation. He is only four sweeps, after all.

“Your brother,” his gaze flicks down to the bundle in his arms, “Watch your brother. Keep him safe. Can you do that for me Kri, can you?” The boy nods. “Good. Good.” Tears well up in the man’s eyes, an offense that would have been worthy of three month imprisonment a few sweeps prior. But he had changed that. The Condensce was dead; and they likely would all be if they didn’t get off this Gog forsaken planet soon. 

The baby in the bundle starts to cry.

“I…Kri…I love you. So, so much son. You know I love you, right? You and Kat?”

The boy nods again and tears, strangely sweet and red and sticky, pour down from his tear ducts. The gravity of the situation has finally hit him. No, no, no, this is not happening.

“D-Dad?” he cries, and buries his face in the man’s chest. He is received with heavy arms. The guard beside him shifts uncomfortably. Such terms are still not accepted by many of the older of their kind. “You have to go now, Signless, your spawn have to get on the ship if they wish to leave.”

“Yes, yes I know that!” he snaps back, and releases the boy from his arms. The little wriggler is crying louder now, and the slightly older troll absent-mindedly paps him, bright red still staining his cheeks. “Be good, Kri, take care of your brother,” the older troll says. The boy nods firmly and turns, walking up the ramp to the ship. He is jostled by the many kids surging up the ramp into the gaping maw of the door, pushed and shoved, but he never falters, never loses his grip on the screaming bundle in his hands. Though he is little, he understands that his guardian will no longer be there to protect him. From now on, whatever happens will be the fruit of his own actions. With each step he drills this into his mind.

Finally, he reaches the top and steps through into a room filled to the brim with children. Some are older than him, few even on their ninth sweeps, but for the most part there are many, many children of six weeps or less. Some are crouched on the floor or huddled in corners crying their eyes out, others clutching lifeless wrigglers in their hands. These are gently taken away by the few guardians watching over them, wordlessly tossed down evacuation shoots. These bodies are left behind.  
The boy takes this all in through steely eyes. These trolls are not for him to worry about. Instead, he walks through the mass of people until he finds a relatively empty space and sits down, still cradling the crying baby in his arms. “Shoosh, Kat, shoosh,” he whispers, rocking him frantically back and forth.

But the thing won’t stop crying. He cries and cries and cries and his head hurts from the screaming around him and he’s hungry and he’s tired and sad, so, so sad, and the baby won’t shut up! “Shoosh, dammit!” he yells, not sure what the word means, but knowing it’s something his guardian would say when he wouldn’t stop yabbering. He furiously rocks the bundle back and forth until something red drops down onto the floor—he’s crying too. And when he sees this he can’t help it and his resolve breaks; the candy red tears flow easily from his eyes; his cries mixing with that of the hundreds crammed on the ship.

“kri?” a gentle, worried voice asks. He looks up at the familiar voice and breaks out in a fresh wave of tears. 

“Dolo, he won’t stop crying! Dad told me to take care of him and I can’t even—I can’t even—“ the boy is silenced when the tall, emerald-clad woman kneels down and takes him in a tight embrace. His cries are reduced to hiccupped chirps in his throat as the familiar touch of the Dolorosa comforts him.

“You don’t have to do this alone. You are so strong, Kri. Signless would be proud of you. Now, keep rocking Kat. Sing a song to him too, like you used to like when you were little, okay? I’ll be back.” She says, and leaves a kiss on his cheek. The Dolorosa then rises and disappears back into the mesh of trolls.

“Hush little Kar-kat don’t you cry, brother’s gonna sing you a lul-a-by…” he begins, trying to ignore the baby’s cries. Within a few moments, he is asleep. The boy gratefully sinks back against the wall and closes his eyes. It is just as well he got his brother asleep; the rattle of the thrusters shakes him as the ship prepares to take off. All around him cries break out of “Don’t leave, my guardian’s down there!” or, “Wait, what’s happening?” and shake his core. 

This is too much for him. He is only four sweeps. But he is a troll, and more than that, the spawn of the Sighnless himself. And so, he pulls the bundle closer to himself and tries to close his eyes against the harsh lights of the cramped ship. He will need his strength if he is going to save the both of them.

His name is Kankri Vantas and his world has just come crashing down.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, the rest of the series won't be in present tense, it can get a bit confusing sometimes hehe. But I'll update this if you guys like it, I have a really good idea of how to roll with the series. Feel free to add suggestions as to whatto happen, if you want. Thank for reading :)


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